


Manipulating Sunshine

by zackstrider



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Abusive Relationships, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon Compliant, Emotional Manipulation, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Manipulation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-10
Updated: 2016-07-11
Packaged: 2018-07-14 08:26:12
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,481
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7162259
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zackstrider/pseuds/zackstrider
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <em>Oikawa only laughs at Hinata’s enthusiasm. “Come by Seijoh after school sometime this week, I’ll introduce you to the team and get started.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Hinata nods quickly before pausing as something dawns on him. “Aren’t you busy with classes and your own team?” he asks curiously, tilting his head.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The high schooler hums softly, thinking for a moment. “I suppose I am, but one more thing on my to-do list won’t kill me. You’d be an asset if you decided to go to Seijoh.”</em>
</p><hr/><p>When Yukigaoka Junior High loses to Kitagawa Daiichi Junior High in Hinata Shouyou’s first and last official match of junior high, he’s given the opportunity to develop his skills with the renowned Aoba Johsai Volleyball Team by none other than Oikawa Tooru. Hinata improves drastically with Seijoh’s training in the nine months between the junior high match and his first day at Karasuno. He develops relationships and skill he wouldn’t have had otherwise.</p><p>Hinata doesn’t realize the influence Seijoh has on him until it's too late.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes I think about what it would be like if Hinata got actual training in the nine months he spent training alone and that led to this and then I had to twist it even more because I’m horrible.
> 
> This chapter covers the nine months between Hinata's first and last junior high match and his first day of high school.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> '~' is a split between perspectives

The first time Hinata Shouyou meets Oikawa Tooru is after Kitagawa Daiichi Junior High absolutely creams Yukigaoka Junior High, Hinata’s first and last official match of Junior High.

Initially Hinata doesn’t even notice Oikawa come up and sit next to him. Admittedly he’s not paying attention, sitting on the same steps that he confronted Kageyama Tobio on, waiting for the school’s bus to pick them up. He sits down, listens to the muted cheering coming from inside the building, and suddenly his cheeks are wet with tears he hadn’t realized he’d started shedding. Hinata hides his face in his knees, trying to keep as quiet as he can while his teammates talk idly on bench next to a grassy area.

“Ah, it really is heartbreaking when you lose a match, isn’t it?” Hinata doesn’t recognize the voice as one of his classmate’s and looks up, meeting the eyes of someone who was obviously older and taller than him. Maybe he’s a high schooler? (Why would a high schooler be watching the junior high tournaments?) He has wavy brown hair and soft brown eyes as he smiles at Hinata. He looks like he’s wearing a team jacket, but Hinata can’t see from where or what club he’s in.

Hinata sniffles, rubbing his eyes. “Are you here to just rub it in?”

The high schooler looks taken-aback. “Of course not! I know what it’s like to lose matches.” A dark look comes over his eyes for a second before he recovers, his expression softening even more. “I wanted to make sure you’re okay. Your reflexes are pretty good, and you’re crazy fast.”

Hinata sniffles again, his eyes starting to dry. “Th-Thank you. I can jump, too!” he says, making the older boy laugh before he holds out his hand.

“My name is Oikawa Tooru.” Oikawa says, shaking Hinata’s hand firmly. “I go to Aoba Jousai High School, I’m a setter on the volleyball team.”

Hinata gasps. “That’s really cool!” he grins. “I have to get better at volleyball before I think about joining a high school team.” he rubs the back of his head, laughing nervously. “My name is Hinata Shouyou.”

Oikawa nods. “I could help you, if you’d like.” he smiles. Hinata notices a glint of _something_ in his eyes, but can’t place it. He assumes it’s something good, though!

Hinata blinks before he stands up, his hands curling into fists at his in front of his chest. “You will?” he asks excitedly.

Oikawa smiles, his eyes closing. “Of course, with proper training you could really be a great player.”

This of course, only makes Hinata ecstatic. He could become a great player like Little Giant with the help of a high schooler! “Yes please! Thank you so much, Oikawa-senpai!”

Oikawa only laughs at Hinata’s enthusiasm. “Come by Seijoh after school sometime this week, I’ll introduce you to the team and get started.”

Hinata nods quickly before pausing as something dawns on him. “Aren’t you busy with classes and your own team?” he asks curiously, tilting his head.

The high schooler hums softly, thinking for a moment. “I suppose I am, but one more thing on my to-do list won’t kill me. You’d be an asset if you decided to go to Seijoh.” he digs into his pocket, taking out his cell phone. “Let’s exchange numbers to make it easier.”

 

* * *

 

The first time that Hinata actually makes it to Seijoh, it's a Friday evening and the volleyball club is already practicing. He peeks inside the gym through the door, already starting to get nervous about practicing with high schoolers.

 _This is nerve-wracking._ Hinata thought. _Oikawa-senpai wasn’t scary, but the rest of them are._ He can already feel his stomach starting to react and get upset. At the same time, Hinata is _so excited_. So excited he's practically vibrating against the door. Training with Seijoh will be the single coolest thing he would ever do in his life, it was official.

Only then did Oikawa notice that Hinata was hiding. Everything stops when he does, making Hinata freeze under the many gazes he attracts. The coach walks up to Hinata and introduces himself as Coach Irihata, the Head Coach.

Oikawa jogs up behind the coach with a smile of his own. “I’m glad you made it, Shouyou-kun.” Oikawa offers his hand - _to shake it again?_ \- but instead of letting Hinata’s hand go after he’d taken it; he leads him inside the gym to the rest of the team. Hinata can’t stop staring at their joined hands, his face turning red from the contact. Did high schoolers hold hands with their friends? Were all upperclassmen this affectionate?

“Everyone, this is the boy I was telling you about, Hinata Shouyou.” Oikawa looks at Hinata. “We’re going to have a three-on-three match; I’d like you to join us. I want to see what you can do.”

Hinata blinks before his eyes practically sparkle. “Really?” he asks excitedly.

Oikawa nods and reaches up to ruffle Hinata’s hair gently. “You can jump, can’t you?”

 _I can jump._ Hinata grins as newfound determination makes his stomach-ache vanish. “Yeah!”

Oikawa smiles widely. “Good!”

There is something about Oikawa’s smile that makes Hinata feel a lot more at ease than he had just moments before. He drops his bag to the side and changes into his gym shoes, looking around the court and the net. _I may be small, but I can jump._

One of the other members of the team speaks up then, drawing Hinata’s attention to him. “Oikawa, this is taking time out of practice. We don’t have time to entertain a kid.” Hinata sort of understands, high school tournaments are a lot tougher than junior high ones. But at the same time, Hinata had been invited, and invited for a reason.

Despite the outspoken team member, Oikawa only smiles. “You don’t have to be so mean, Iwa-chan.” he opens his eyes and continuea to look at his team. “I want to show you Shouyou-kun’s abilities.” Hinata can only stare as a darker air shrouds Oikawa. Hinata definitely doesn’t want to get on his bad side.

“Tch, fine. What are the teams?”

Oikawa hums, pressing the pad of his index finger to his chin and looking at his teammates. “Iwa-chan will be with Hinata and myself, and I’ll have Yahaba, Watari and Hanamaki on the other team.”

The members step forward as they're called on, letting Hinata learn the names of who he’d be facing, ‘Iwa-chan’ excluded. Yahaba has brown hair and brown eyes, and is taller than Hinata. Watari has a shaved head and gray eyes, and is taller than Hinata. Hanamaki has reddish-brown short hair and what looks like gray eyes, and of course, _is taller than Hinata._

 _I’m going to play against high schoolers!_ Hinata looks between Oikawa and ‘Iwa-chan’, his gaze staying on the latter male. Hinata swallows, holding his hand out to ‘Iwa-chan’. “H-Hinata Shouyou!” he stutters, cringing at how nervous he sounds. He's excited!

‘Iwa-chan’ looks Hinata up and down for a second, making his anxiety spike as he waits for the older male to react. Hinata nearly jumps out of his skin when a strong hand takes hold of his, shaking it firmly. “Iwaizumi Hajime.”

 _At least I know your proper name now._ Hinata nods. “Nice to meet you. Thank you for letting me join your practice.”

Iwaizumi nods, dropping his hand. “Oikawa seems to think that you’re something interesting. You’re the one who has to prove yourself.”

And just like that, Hinata’s anxiety is through the roof as they move onto the court. A gentle hand on Hinata’s shoulder draws him from his thoughts, and he looks up at Oikawa once more.

“Shouyou-kun, all you have to do is spike, okay?” Oikawa smiles. “Just follow the ball.”

 _Follow the ball._ Hinata smiles and nods, his anxiety still isn’t helping his current situation, but at least Oikawa-senpai believes in him. “Okay!”

~

Oikawa is no stranger to tossing. He is no stranger to volleyball, either. But he _is_ a stranger to Hinata. Nothing would be synced, they’d never played together before. But that isn’t going to stop him from delivering him the perfect toss. Oikawa spent a few solid hours watching the match between Kitagawa Daiichi Junior High and Yukigaoka Junior High, examining how Hinata worked. It was clear that the Yukigaoka team had never actually played together before and the majority of the team was vastly inexperienced compared to Kitagawa Daiichi, yet they still decided to enter the tournament.

In the beginning it had just confused Oikawa. Why would such a weak team enter when they wouldn’t have a shred of a chance? But then he watched the match. (He watched the match over and _over_ ). The team hadn’t entered for _themselves_ , they’d entered for _Hinata_. That alone raised some interest. If Oikawa can help Hinata develop his skill, he can use it in the long run. Use him.

He watches as Iwaizumi gets into position, watches as the other team slip on their coloured jerseys to separate the teams, watches as Coach Mizoguchi gets ready to referee, watches as the other team gets ready to serve, watches as teammates on the sidelines whisper snide comments about Hinata to each other, and watches how Hinata never takes his eyes off the ball.

Yes, this is going to work out fine.

~

Hinata is _so ready_. As ready as he’s ever been. As ready as he was ever going to be. Sure, it bothers him that he hears the upperclassmen making comments about his height and his age, but the way Oikawa is smiling at him makes him instantly feel better. Hinata closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, blocking out everything before he opens his eyes again.

~

Ah, there it is.

The fire in Hinata’s eyes. The determination.

_You’ll do just fine here._

Oikawa takes a deep breath, speaking softly. “Shouyou-kun, I’d like you to receive Watari’s serve.” He almost, _almost,_ laugha as Hinata’s face drains of colour. It's endearing. “Don’t worry about making mistakes.” He continues. “I believe in you.”

And then there is a little more colour in Hinata’s face, mostly his cheeks. Also endearing. Before Hinata can protest, Oikawa turns around to the sound of the whistle.

~

Hinata had never been good at receiving. He never had the chance to practice! It wasn’t his fault (entirely). But now he is facing high schoolers who _do_ know how to receive. He can already hear the students on the sidelines laughing at his lack of skill. Maybe it had been a bad idea to go to Seijoh.

Watari makes a jump-serve, something Hinata hadn’t encountered before. Everyone he knew used underhand or overhand serves. Jump serves were significantly stronger and harder to receive. Despite that, Hinata finds himself rushing from the right corner of the court to the left, joining his hands in front of him, lining up with the ball to bump it into the air-

Only to have it ricochet off his arms and right into his face.

Hinata hears two things next. The ball hit the ground and bounce a couple times, and then multiple teenagers trying to hold back their laughter behind their hands. His eyes burn with unshed tears as he went to pick up the ball, thoroughly embarrassed of his screw up.

What he doesn’t expect is for Oikawa to take the ball from his hands and tip his chin up with a finger. He has a frown on his face as he looks Hinata over. Their eyes meet for a second before Oikawa looks over at the rest of the team on the sidelines, a dark smile forming on his face. “I would appreciate it if you would stop laughing." The team went silent immediately.

“Are you okay?” Oikawa asks, turning back to Hinata. He raises his hand, prodding at Hinata’s face in a few spots.

Hinata nods, his cheeks turning red. “I’m not very good at receiving.” He says.

Oikawa nods. “We’ll work on that together. I told you I wanted to see what you can do. If I take people’s words on what they can and can’t do, they may not ever improve on anything that needs work.”

Hinata nods. “Let’s go again, one more time.” He says, reaching up to rub the back of his head. “This time I’ll get it.”

Oikawa starts walking back to his position before Hinata even completely finishes his sentence, nodding the entire way. “Once again, Watari.” He calls, tossing the ball under the net to get it back to him. Watari nods, bouncing the ball a few times before meeting Hinata’s eyes. He gives him a soft smile, nodding once before setting up for his serve.

~

Iwaizumi is the one to receive Watari’s serve the second time, which doesn’t cause a problem for Oikawa at all. Hinata is on the right side of the court again, in front of the net. The opposing team’s blocker’s are already in position to block him, and the block will be successful.

Or it would be, if Hinata was slow.

But Hinata isn’t slow. Oikawa’s teammates don’t know that, of course, but Oikawa does. He knows that by the time he is ready to give Hinata the perfect toss, Hinata would be in the perfect place to spike it.

And that’s how it turns out.

What Hinata lacks in strength and technique, he more than makes up for with his stamina, jumping, speed, and enthusiasm. Hinata does what Oikawa had instructed him to. He follows the ball. He follows where it _will_ go to score a point.

So when Oikawa tosses Iwaizumi’s bump, there is no shocking moment when the sound of Hinata’s hand hitting the ball is heard, there is no shock when it hit the floor on the other side of the court, and there is no shock when the rest of the gym goes quiet.

Oikawa turns to the students on the bench. “A lesson for the future; it’s unwise to underestimate people.”

~

Hinata is on cloud nine. His previous embarrassment had vanished as soon as he’d run from the block. He’d only focused on the ball. Where he needed to be to get the point. Where the ball needed to be. He stares down at his stinging hand, doing his best to fight back cheering over one small victory. He can only keep from grinning until Iwaizumi gives him a pat on the back and a single nod. “Nice kill.”

Hinata looks at Oikawa with his grin, feeling it get even wider when Oikawa smiles back at him. “Nice kill, Shouyou-kun.”

A long whistle brings both teams’ eyes to the Head Coach, who has his own smile on his face. “I think I’ve seen enough.”

 

* * *

 

Much to Hinata’s shock, Coach Irihata actually agrees to letting him join the Seijoh practices for the rest of the school year. They get right down to it, going on with practicing receives, serves, anything and everything they could until late that same night. Hinata thanks the coaches and team profusely, stating they wouldn’t regret training him, before leaving with the brightest smile he’s ever had on his face.

“Coach, why are you allowing a kid to practice with us?” One of the third years grumble, his arms crossed over his chest.

Before Coach Irihata can say anything, Oikawa steps up. “It was all my doing.” He smiles. “I convinced Coach that training Shouyou-kun will help Seijoh in the long run. I’m going to convince him to come to Seijoh next year, and when he does, we won’t have to worry about training him then.” Oikawa closes his eyes as he spun a volleyball in his hands. “Even if he doesn’t get into Seijoh, we can still use him.

“So please bear with it for a little while longer.” Oikawa opens his eyes as he turns around, tossing the volleyball into the basket that held them. “It’ll all be worth it in the end.”

 

* * *

 

In the months from the first time Hinata visited Seijoh to his first day of high school, he spends as much of his free time as he can with Oikawa and various other members of the Seijoh volleyball club, training and practicing and learning how to properly play the game. He gets substantially better at receiving and reading his opponents thanks to the countless hours he spends with Oikawa, countless three-on-three matches and even _more_ countless bruises.

Hinata learns that Oikawa spends his free time teaching his nephew and other kids volleyball. Hinata has to practically beg Oikawa to let him tag along, and he certainly isn’t disappointed when he gets to watch the Seijoh player interact with kids.

Hinata learns that Oikawa had previously sustained a knee injury from over-practicing himself, only to have Oikawa spend several minutes warning him about the dangers of over-practicing. Oikawa had shared that rest shouldn’t be taken for granted, and had made Hinata promise to never over-practice.

Oikawa had gripped Hinata’s shoulders, making the younger promise him as he stared into his intense brown eyes. Hinata promised, and he meant it. He started taking Mondays off with Oikawa.

 

* * *

 

Hinata’s relationship with Oikawa also evolves. At first Hinata had joined the Seijoh volleyball team for practice, but the pair slowly starts meeting outside of regular practice for _more_ one-on-one practice. The one-on-one practices become more inconsistent as Hinata starts showing that he has a grasp on what he's doing. Oikawa turns it into helping him study as well.

He'd always say, “If you want to get into a good school, good grades are important too.” And it made sense. It made total and complete utter sense that grades were also important – it was school after all!

Hinata starts to notice that Oikawa is very… affectionate when they're alone together. He was always as close as he could be to Hinata when showing him how to do something they were studying, or how to hold his body when bumping, Oikawa will sometimes hold his hand if he's in a particularly affectionate mood, or he's just had a bad day (Oikawa teaching Hinata how to read his opponents had helped him read Oikawa himself. It is helpful in some instances).

Hinata isn’t even that surprised when Oikawa asks him to call him by his first name. At first it feels strange, but he quickly becomes used to it when he sees how happy it makes Oikawa.

The first time Hinata actually uses Oikawa’s first name, the older male hugs him, crooning about how cute Hinata is and how nice it is to hear him use his first name. Hinata’s face goes beet-red at the closeness and his hair tickles his neck, making him giggle.

“Ahhh, Shouyou-kun~, you’re so cute.” Oikawa murmurs against his shoulder. “I want to keep you forever.”

“Wh-What do you mean, Tooru-san?” Hinata hears Oikawa hum softly as he moves, shifting until his lips are next to Hinata’s ear.

“I like you.” Oikawa murmurs softly. “I think we should date.”

Hinata nearly combusts. He never thought he’d be interested in guys, at all. He doesn’t have a problem with it, and Oikawa had taught and helped him so much in the last couple months. Hinata loves spending time with him, it only makes him want to spend more time with the older male. The pair text all the time, effectively earning some teasing from both sides’ friends, and some days Hinata can’t get Oikawa out of his head – his laugh, his smile, his eyes, everything about him.

Is that what liking someone does to you?

~

As it turns out, that’s exactly what liking someone does to you.

~

Some nights, if it gets too late after practice or if it's too dark outside, Oikawa will insist that Hinata let him walk the orange haired boy home. Who is Hinata to argue with his boyfriend? (Not that he even wants to, anyway, he loves spending time with Oikawa. _His_ Oikawa).

They have their first kiss two months into knowing each other, and one month into their relationship. It's outside of Hinata’s house, underneath a flickering streetlamp. The warm August wind had brushed past them as Oikawa had walked him home, listening to Hinata excitedly talk about a good test store he’d gotten that day. Hinata starts to pull away when they reach his front gate, only for Oikawa to pull him back into his arms.

Hinata enjoys the feeling of Oikawa’s arms around his neck, and the feeling of Oikawa’s toned muscles under his arms as he wraps them around his mid-section. Hinata rests his chin on Oikawa’s chest, looking up at the older male with a small smile as a light blush reddened his cheeks.

“You’re so cute, Shou-chan.” Oikawa murmurs softly. He’d started using the nickname soon after they’d made it official, and it makes Hinata simply glow.

“You’re cute too, Tooru-san.” Hinata mumbles, his voice muffled as he hides his face in the taller boy’s chest. Hinata listens to the hum of Oikawa chuckling before he feels a finger under his chin, lifting his head back up.

It takes Hinata a moment to register the feeling on his lips. He isn’t fazed by Oikawa leaning in, the brown haired boy often rubbed their noses together or simply pressed their foreheads together when he wanted a moment of contact, but never before had Oikawa _kissed_ Hinata.

Hinata doesn’t pull away though. Instead he curls his fingers in Oikawa’s Seijoh jacket and follows his lead, kissing back just as softly as the older boy is kissing him. The kiss leaves his lips tingling after Oikawa pulls away, and he wants more of that feeling.

“One more.” Hinata whispers against Oikawa’s lips, his eyes still closed. He feels Oikawa smile before the pressure of another kiss, and Hinata happily kisses back. Hinata feels Oikawa’s arms move from his shoulders and his hands curl in the smaller boy’s hair. Hinata makes a soft noise in the back of his throat when Oikawa tugs slightly, and that only seems to spur him on more.

They both pull out of the kiss panting, foreheads pressed together and smiles on their faces. Hinata is the first to laugh, squeezing Oikawa softly. “That surprised me.” He says.

Oikawa brushes their noses together. “I hope it was a good surprise.” He murmurs, his breath ghosting over Hinata’s lips.

“Yeah.”

 

* * *

 

In late September the pair go hiking. Oikawa finds a hiking trail a short forty-five minutes away from Miyagi and surprises Hinata with his plan. Hinata, of course, is _so on board_ with the idea. They are both nearly vibrating with excitement on the train, hands linked and smiles wide.

They sign in at the bottom of the trail ten minutes after the train arrives, and are on the trail minutes later, hands swaying together as they walk in the perfect fall air. Hinata giggles as he jumps from one large rock to another. Oikawa has to hide a smirk at one point as the smaller boy runs out of rocks to jump on, a pout forming on his face. His lips curve into a shy smile when Oikawa gifts him with a flower, blushing as the taller male tucks it in his hair behind his ear. The rest of the trail is short, but filled with laughs and only _one_ near-death experience. (Hinata nearly slipped off a rock, Oikawa nearly had a heart attack). After only about a half hour walk, the pair are greeted with a small crowd, signifying the end of the trail.

“Where’s the water fall?” Hinata asks, looking around.

Oikawa frowns. “It should be here, the website said it was at the end of the trail.”

_“Mommy, mommy, I wanna get closer!”_

_“Sasaki, I told you before, we can only look at the waterfall from here.”_

Hinata deflates next to Oikawa, his shoulders slumping. “We can only view it?” he pouts.

“Oh _hell_ no.” Oikawa murmurs, looking at Hinata for a moment before grinning. “Let’s get closer.”

Hinata blinks. “How? There’s no way to get around there.”

Oikawa tugs Hinata closer to whisper in his ear. “We’ll go off the trail.” He pulls away with a grin, pointing to a divide in the trees next to the viewing area.

Hinata pauses before smiling brightly, nodding. “Let’s do it.”

Oikawa grins, leading Hinata around the small crowd of people by his hand and glancing around to make sure no one is looking at them before sliding between the branches and trees around them.

The trek to the waterfall is not _nearly_ as easy as the trek to the viewing area. It isn’t cleared for the purpose of walking easily; it isn’t even really a _path._ It's mostly just Oikawa shoving branches out of their way as he heads in the general direction of the small waterfall.

But when they make it, to the little river that is the source of the waterfall, it’s worth it. The area is mostly just grass, dirt, and rocks, but steadily falling orange leaves and soft breeze made the area inviting.

Hinata can see why they’d prevent people from getting to this area, and he almost feels guilty for following Oikawa and sneaking around everyone else and getting closer, but it is worth it. He deduces it’s worth it when he looks to his right and sees his boyfriend, eyes closed and chin tipped up to the sky. Oikawa looks like he is at peace, simply listening to the area around them, and Hinata decides that is much better than just sitting alone in either of their rooms.

Not that there’s anything wrong with that – but getting out was nice too!

Hinata must have gotten distracted looking around – enjoying himself – because he doesn’t notice Oikawa move, doesn’t notice him collect some water in his hands, and doesn’t notice those same hands over his head until he feels the cool river water on his head, dripping down his back.

The shorter boy lets out a shriek, jumping away from the laughing Oikawa. Hinata turns back, pout on his face. Oikawa continues laughing, unsuspecting as Hinata collects river water in his empty water bottle and creeps up next to him.

Tipping the water bottle over Oikawa’s head, Hinata watches as Oikawa’s hair is drenched with water. Oikawa lets out his own scream, trying to bat away the water and only getting it on his clothing.

They're both laughing in the end, Oikawa laying on his back in a puddle of water, Hinata standing at his feet with his arms wrapped around his stomach. It's loud cackling, and Hinata wonders if the people at the viewing area can hear them. Even if they can, he doesn't care.

Oikawa shifts, grabbing a towel from his bag and rubbing his hair to dry it before wiping his face. When he pulls the towel away, he lets out a whine. “I was really hoping my concealer was waterproof today!” He pouts, letting the towel fall to his knees. Hinata can see a light brown smudge on the wet towel, and he tilts his head.

“Concealer?” He asks, kneeling down in front of his boyfriend. “Why do you need concealer?”

Oikawa makes a face. “Acne scars.” He mumbles, scratching one of his cheeks.

Hinata nods slowly in understanding. Acne sucks! And for someone like Oikawa, who’s in the news and fawned over by so many people all the time, Hinata can see why he'd want to put a perfect face in front of the people who have a warped perception of what he's actually like. Media only really ever has expectations – and anything can make or break someone in the spotlight.

“Well,” Hinata says, reaching out and just barely touching his fingers to Oikawa’s cheek gently. “You don't have to wear makeup around me,” he gives Oikawa a wide smile, “Because I already think you're perfect.”

 

* * *

 

Oikawa convinced Hinata to apply to Aoba Jousai, even though Hinata had his heart set on Karasuno. Oikawa had said it was the least he could do after they helped him get better at volleyball, and Hinata couldn’t argue, because he wouldn’t be where he is skill wise without the Seijoh team.

Oikawa is unhappy when he hears that Hinata hadn’t made it into Seijoh, and apparently everyone else on the team had been disappointed. Iwaizumi even expresses his disappointment when the three of them hang out, stating that Hinata’s speed would surprise any opponent they’d face.

“It’s bullshit, frankly.” Iwaizumi says, munching on a snack Hinata’s mother had made for the three of them. They’d gone to Hinata’s house after practice for dinner, and Hinata’s mother was delighted to meet Hinata’s boyfriend and new friend. Natsu had also been excited to have more people to play with that evening.

“Iwa-chan, language.” Oikawa teases, earning himself a shove via Iwaizumi’s hand to his face.

Hinata giggles at the two of them, finishing up his own snack. “It’s okay though.” He says. “I’ll still come see you guys, and we might even get some practice matches together.”

“Still, it’s not fair~” Oikawa whines, wrapping an arm around his boyfriend’s shoulder and nuzzling his cheek. “I was looking forward to having lunch together and walking home.”

Hinata presses a chaste kiss to Oikawa’s lips, ignoring his boyfriend’s comment of ‘ _gay~’_ as he pulls away. “We’ll still spend time together.” Hinata murmurs. “We have the weekends, and Skype to talk.”

Oikawa nods, nuzzling Hinata’s cheek again. “I know.” He murmurs. “I’ll still miss you though.”

“I’ll miss you too.”

Hinata is just glad he didn’t have to choose between the school of his dreams and the school he was indebted to.

 

* * *

 

To celebrate Christmas and both parties finishing their winter break homework, Oikawa and Hinata decide to go skating together. It's a spur of the moment decision while they're relaxing at Hinata’s house, and overhear his mother talking about the rink closing soon with Natsu.

“Do you know how to ice skate, Tooru-san?” Hinata asks, pressing close to Oikawa from where he's sitting next to him. The smaller boy rests his chin on Oikawa’s shoulder, his nose brushing against his cheek.

Oikawa nods, turning towards Hinata and rubbing their noses together. “I learned when I was little.” He says. “I haven’t gone in a while though.”

Hinata sits up quickly. “We should go!” He grins. “It’s walking distance from here, and it’d be a really fun end of our vacation.”

A wide grin spreads across Oikawa’s face as he nods. “Absolutely, let’s do it.” He watches as Hinata jumps up with a cheer and runs off to tell his mother.

It doesn’t take them long to put on their boots and jackets and head out, bundled up for the cool weather of winter. They walk hand-in-hand into town, quickly locating the rink and renting their skates. Finding a spot to put on their skates is a different issue, considering the area is absolutely packed.

Hinata is standing on his toes, searching for a bench with a hand above his eyes when he is suddenly pulled to the side quickly. He nearly trips over his feet as he follows Oikawa, letting him lead him to a bench that the other had located.

Oikawa sits down, pulling Hinata down next to him and effectively squishing him between Oikawa and the strangers next to him. Oikawa quickly slips on and ties up his skates, practically vibrating with excitement. Hinata would be too, if he hadn’t been having the hardest time trying to tie his skates.

“Shou-chan, do you need help?” Oikawa asks, kneeling down in front of him. He smiles when Hinata nods with a light blush dusting his cheeks, quickly tying the skate’s laces with a soft hum.

The pair stands up together, wobbling slightly on their feet before finding their footing and heading towards the rink. They carefully enter the rink, gripping the side fences that had been set up to find their balance.

“It’s just like riding a bike!” Hinata grins as if he doesn’t have a vice grip of death on the metal fencing.

Oikawa laughs, already having found his balance. “I’ll be right back, I wanna do a couple laps to get the hang of it again.” He waits for Hinata to nod before skating off gracefully.

Hinata wobbles, looking down at his shaking feet and pulling himself forward via the fence. He feels a hand ruffle his hair as Oikawa passes him and he looks up to see his boyfriend skating backwards, waving at him happily.

On Oikawa’s third lap, Hinata lets go of the fencing and starts sliding his feet back and forth awkwardly. He barely makes any distance before Oikawa is back by his side. The high schooler stands in front of him, holding out both his hands with a smile. “I’ll skate backwards and you can get the hang of it again.”

Hinata smiles, taking Oikawa’s hands and doing exactly that. It doesn’t take long until he gets the hang of moving his feet properly to push himself forward on the ice, and they can skate hand-in-hand.

Hinata could have skated with Oikawa forever. The weather is amazing, the atmosphere around them is full of excitement and happiness, and the fingers laced between Hinata’s are warm.

The atmosphere is ruined when rowdy college students come racing past them, obviously in some kind of race against each other.

“Let’s move over a bit, Shou-chan.” Oikawa murmurs, beginning to guide Hinata to the edge of the rink.

Hinata isn’t entirely sure what happens next, but suddenly he is shoved from one side, he feels Oikawa jerk on his other side and assumes he’s been shoved, and suddenly the ice is _a lot_ closer to Hinata’s face then it had been before. They both land on the ice, hands out in front of them to catch themselves.

“Nck.” Oikawa grunts next to Hinata, his face contorted in pain when Hinata looks at him.

“Tooru-san?” Hinata whispers, shifting to his knees on the ice as Oikawa moves to sitting on his hip.

“I landed on my knee.” Oikawa says, looking down at his right leg and gripping his knee before beginning to massage it softly.

Hinata’s eyes widen. “We should go home and ice it.”

Oikawa shakes his head. “Shouyou, it’s okay, I’m fine.” He insists. “I’ll just rest for a few minutes, it’s no big deal, I’ll be back on the ice in no time.” Even as he says it, any shift makes his face contort in pain as he moves his knee.

Hinata shakes his head quickly, helping Oikawa stand and letting the brunette lean against him. “We’re going home right now and getting ice on your knee.” He says, interrupting Oikawa’s protests. “No buts!”

Oikawa lets Hinata slide them both off the ice, lets him help him take off his skates and slip back into his shoes, and lets Hinata take the brunt of Oikawa’s weight as they walk back to his house. Hinata immediately orders Oikawa into his room, insisting that he’d get them snacks and whatever Oikawa needed for the rest of the night – he has to rest his knee and Hinata isn’t going to let him do anything at all!

And that’s how the pair ended up sitting on Oikawa’s floor, facing his TV and leaning against his bed, watching a movie on the last night of winter break. Hinata dutifully gets Oikawa anything he wants or needs, switching from ice packs to heated pads every twenty minutes.

“Shou-chan, I think that’s enough.” Oikawa murmurs, stroking the other boy’s cheek. “My knee feels a lot better, thank you. Please just relax now.”

Hinata looks up at his boyfriend, worry clear on his face. Oikawa presses a soft kiss to his lips, pulling away with a smile. “I’ll tell you if it starts bothering me again.” He promises. That seems to satisfy Hinata and he rests his head on Oikawa’s left thigh, continuing to watch the movie.

Hinata falls asleep to the feeling of Oikawa’s fingers running through his hair, and the sound of a movie playing softly in the background.

~

Oikawa smiles down at his sleeping sunshine, fingers tangled in his hair. “Ah, you were so worried about me you tired yourself out.” He murmurs softly, tugging slightly on a strand of unruly hair, pressing it down and continuing to pet Hinata’s head when he stirs.

“I wonder what you’ll be like when I break you.”

 

* * *

 

Their first time together is quiet, breath melding into one as their lips meet time and time again, pulling back only to breathe in each other’s air. It’s slow; hips moving against each other through clothing, hands gripping at sheets, shirts, clawing at bare skin for more, more, _more._

Oikawa will remember it; Hinata’s naked form below him, perfect, smooth skin just waiting to be kissed, and bitten, and bruised. He learns quickly that Hinata enjoys being touched, sliding his lips along the smaller boy’s collar bone while his hands roam, rubbing his sides, one hand travelling further down to his thigh while the other slips under Hinata’s arching back to slide against the ridges of his spine. Oikawa loves touching Hinata; loves seeing the marks he can make on his skin, loves seeing the flush of embarrassment and arousal, loves how his nipples perk up as Oikawa swirls his tongue around them. Hinata’s so responsive, and Oikawa _loves_ it. He’s vocal, letting out little gasps and moans, even needy whining when he finally has enough and _needs to come._

Hinata will remember it as well; remember how _hot_ he was, how much he wanted release only to have Oikawa move his hand further away from where he was _aching_. Oikawa seems to love any sound he makes, returning the sounds with statements - ranging from how good Hinata is being, to how good he feels under him, to how good he looks, needy and wanting – to just sucking on his skin, marking him, claiming Hinata as his own.

Hinata drinks it all in, the praise, he feeling of Oikawa’s hands on him, the feeling of their cocks sliding together. It’s not enough, just rubbing against each other, and he takes matters into his own hands – quite literally. Oikawa’s hips stutter when he reaches down and wraps his hand around both of their cocks, his grip loose and nervous. It isn’t until Oikawa’s hand covers his that he gets more confident, following his lover’s lead as they stroke each other to completion.

Hinata’s the first one to come, arching up against Oikawa’s chest with a moan of his first name, dropping the honorific. It’s the hottest thing Oikawa’s ever heard, and he’s coming soon after, burying his face in the crook of Hinata’s neck and sucking another mark onto his shoulder with a low moan. They ride out their orgasms together, hips continuing to rock together until Hinata lets out a soft whine, overstimulated and spent. Oikawa’s awake enough to grab an old towel and wipe them off before flopping down next to Hinata. The older male pulls his boyfriend into his arms, nuzzling his nose against the wild orange hair he loves. Hinata is riddled with love marks he’d made, from his collarbone down to the inside of his thighs, and he can’t wait to see how they bruise on Hinata’s fragile skin. They’re both sated and spent, happily falling asleep in each other’s arms under one blanket.

 

* * *

 

When it comes up, it’s an awkward conversation, to say the least. It’s been the elephant in the room since they spent a night _together_ , and they’ve both been avoiding the topic.

They’re going to different schools in April.

It’s not like it’s unusual, Hinata’s been in middle school and Oikawa in high school since they met. But now they’re both going to be in high school, and they’d both been so certain that with Hinata’s training with Seijoh he’d be a shoe-in for a spot among the students. But they have to talk about it.

So when they’re walking home, hand in hand, almost getting to the point where they split off and go their separate ways, Hinata’s working up the courage to say something, opening his mouth and—

“We’re going to different high schools.”

It’s Oikawa who says it first, his grip on Hinata’s hand tightening just a fraction. Hinata squeezes his hand back with a shaky nod. “Yeah.”

“We can make it work, we’ve done it for eight months.” Hinata continues, looking up at his boyfriend. He’s not willing to give him up, never, not happening, no chance.

“We’ll probably face each other in matches.” Oikawa continues, as if he’s _trying_ to deter Hinata. Not going to happen!

“And that’s okay! We can both improve, and when we face each other, it’ll be even more interesting – and more fun!” Hinata gives Oikawa a wide smile. “And we’ll probably be able to see each other during practice matches, maybe even training camps, who knows!” He stops them both, wrapping his arms around Oikawa tightly, nearly knocking the other over with the force behind it.

“I’m not giving up on us.” Hinata mumbles into Oikawa’s chest, nuzzling against it as he feels a hand card through his hair.

“I’m not going to give up on us either, Shou-chan.” Everything about Oikawa is soft in that moment; his voice, his smile, his eyes, the feeling of his fingers carding through Hinata’s hair, everything. Hinata can’t get enough of it.

He can’t wait to see what Karasuno High School has in store for him, either.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This isn't going to be updated quickly but! I'm hoping it'll be updated monthly.
> 
> I hope


	2. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter takes place during the majority of episode 2 of the anime

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> unedited and unbeta'd because i'm late!!! but i managed to update once a month!!! so tell me if i made any errors anywhere my friends!!! and obviously enjoy!!!

Hinata starts school on April 1st of that year at Karasuno High School. Oikawa offered to drop him off, but what was the point of making him late even if they got to hold hands a little more? While he thoroughly enjoys spending time with his boyfriend, Hinata did _not_ want to sacrifice his education for a little more time together. Hinata had promised to text him whenever he could. He intended to keep that promise.

And keep that promise he did! In the ten minutes between classes, he’d quickly pull out his phone and send Oikawa a quick message about how his day was going, and of course ask him about his. They were lucky enough that their school schedules were similar and had a few minutes to talk before between the time that the previous teacher left and the next teacher came in for classes.

After school, when they both have practice, they say a quick goodbye to each other before Hinata scrambles down to gymnasium two, right where the Karasuno Volleyball Club would surely be waiting.

Instead, something else happens entirely.

~

Kageyama Tobio has never been one to get close to people. It took time out of his day when his friends wanted to do something other than practice. Kageyama only wants to get better. He only wants to be the best.

 ~~He wants to prove that he doesn’t need _him_.~~ ~~~~

So when the gym is empty before practice, he decides to get warmed up with some simple overhand serves. It's a good way to get his blood flowing, and isn’t too taxing on his energy – he’d still have ample amount for practice.

Kageyama is in the middle of a toss for a serve when he hears feet hitting the gym floor, assuming it’s the rest of the team. It wasn’t until he hears a yell of, “Why are you here?!” that he takes a moment to glance at the entrance of the gym, the volleyball forgotten.

Standing in the doorway is the orange-headed shrimp from junior high.

Kageyama can only wonder what the hell his name is as the volleyball comes down on his head. “Ow.”

~

There’s no mistake, standing in front of Hinata is his one and only rival, Kageyama Tobio. What is he doing at Karasuno? Shouldn’t he be at some elite school? Shouldn’t he be literally _anywhere else but Karasuno?_

Kageyama blinks. “I met you last year.” His expression turns flat. “But I don’t know your name.”

 _Of course._ “My name is Hinata Shouyou!” Hinata yells, and the yelling doesn’t stop there. It doesn’t stop when Kageyama calls him lousy – _he’s not lousy! –_ it doesn’t stop when Hinata declares that he would beat Kageyama, he’ll beat the King of the Court, and it certainly doesn’t stop when Kageyama tells Hinata not to call him King.

When the upperclassmen come in, they completely disregard Hinata in favour of Kageyama. Hinata figures out that the guy with the shaved head is Tanaka, and the one with the soft voice is ‘Suga-san’. They keep talking to Kageyama, asking his height, and even as Hinata tries to greet them, they continue their conversation, and Hinata will absolutely _not_ have that, so of course; more yelling. It has to keep going to get the upperclassmen’s attention while they talk to Kageyama – how can they ignore Hinata? He has the brightest hair there! Finally making them notice him, Tanaka lets out a yell.

It’s surprising, at first, but apparently they’d been there, at the match! Hinata’s heart sinks a _little_ , because they definitely must think he’s not much, but it doesn’t seem like they think less of him when Tanaka says he’s got guts, and Suga-san says that his jumps are _awesome_.

“But you haven’t grown much since.” Tanaka waves his hand above Hinata’s head teasingly.

“I may be little, but I can jump!” Hinata stands up as tall as he can, as if it would make a difference between his and Tanaka’s height. “I’ll be Karasuno’s Ace!”

Tanaka’s face doesn’t quite scream ‘I believe in you’ as he leans in with a mocking, “The newbie says he’s gonna be the ace? You’ve got some nerve.”

Thank God for Suga-san, who steps up to defend Hinata, stating that it’s good to be ambitious. And it is! If you have dreams, ambition was one of the things you needed to reach them.

“I’ll do my best!” Hinata stands proudly, as he always does (or tries to).

“Hey.” Kageyama’s voice from behind Hinata doesn’t make him feel any better about the position he’s in. “If you want to be the ace, I hope you’ve improved.” _I have improved. I’ve spent nine months improving._ “If you goof around, you’ll waste another three years.”

_I’ll show you._

“What did you say?” Hinata turns his head, a frown plastered on his face. “What did you say?” he snaps, turning to completely face Kageyama. “I played with all my might.” _But…_ “But don’t tell me everything I’ve done is a waste!”

The captain starts saying something, probably about them working together, but it might as well go in one ear and out the other. They’re not listening, but Hinata does pick up a name – Daichi? – that must be the captain’s. Hinata’s so _infuriated_ by Kageyama that Daichi’s voice doesn’t even register to him as he challenges Kageyama. They fight over what exactly the challenge is going to be on, because they can’t very well have a one-on-one match, or have a passing contest. He pays no mind to anything else, not the Vice Principal walking in the gym, not Tanaka warning him to behave, as he continues, raising his arm to point at his rival.

“Serve! I’ll return them all.” Hinata was yelling once again, ignoring everything else but Kageyama. “I was only able to get one of your serves last year.” _Right in the face… But I’ve been training with the Seijoh team. I’ve been training with one of the top four schools in the Prefecture._ “I’m not the same person as last year.”

Kageyama only looks taken-aback for a split second before he recovers, walking over to a volleyball. “Not the same as last year, huh?” he picks up a volleyball with one hand, holding it out with a smirk on his face. “I’m not the same as last year, either.”

There was more talking behind Hinata as Kageyama walked over to the net, but Hinata’s only thoughts were to relax. Relax and watch the ball. He’d trained for _hours_ with Oikawa, Iwaizumi, and the entirety of the Seijoh volleyball team on receiving, on everything he needed to know about volleyball to become an amazing player. An ace.

Kageyama bounced the ball a couple times before he gripped it in his hands. “Here it comes.” He said, the only warning that Hinata got before he threw the ball up in the air for a jump serve.

Hinata isn’t too surprised to see a jump serve, he’d spent the last nine months around them after all, but it is surprising to see Kageyama making a jump serve. He hadn’t used them in junior high at all. Kageyama’s form reminds Hinata a lot of Oikawa’s when he served. Considering they went to the same junior high, it’s not all that shocking that Kageyama had picked up a few things from the current Seijoh captain.

 _So it’ll be like Tooru-san’s…_ Hinata braces himself for a powerful serve, reminded of the ones that left his arms tingly and red for hours afterwards.

Kageyama’s serve is strikingly similar to Hinata’s boyfriend’s (who had a serve that Hinata never mastered receiving) but it lacks the same power as Oikawa’s serve. While it still has power behind it, it isn’t the bone-shaking power that Hinata has become familiar with. The sound of skin hitting the volleyball makes Hinata come back to reality as Kageyama’s serve comes right for him. Hinata has no problem receiving a serve that comes straight at him, though it did bounce up into the air rather than into the direction he wants it to go. Without teammates, it’d be a point for Kageyama. But with teammates, it’d be a nice receive for the Setter.

For someone like Kageyama.

Hinata gets into his position again, revelling in the familiar sting on his arms, fighting to hide the triumphant smirk that threatens to forms on his lips. “One more.” He says. Movement in the corner of his eye catches his attention; the Vice Principal leading Daichi out of the gym doors. Hinata wonders why for only a second before his focus is back on Kageyama.

Kageyama serves again, allowing Hinata to continue receiving. Hinata isn’t sure how long their exchange goes on – it could be minutes, it could be hours – his only focus is on Kageyama and his serves. Serve, receive. Serve, receive. _Serve, receive._ Hinata receives every one of Kageyama’s serves, completely in the zone and unaware of everything else around him.

~

Sugawara Koushi remembers watching the match between Kitagawa Daiichi Junior High and Yukigaoka Junior High. He remembers the speed that the tiny Captain of Yukigaoka had under his belt, and how he dived for the ball and brought his team together. He remembers the passionate third year junior high student, who smiled and lifted up his teammates. Suga also remembers that Hinata had not been the _best_ player in the world. So when Hinata is flawlessly receiving Kageyama’s serves, he’s genuinely surprised.

“Suga-san…” He hears Tanaka say to his right.

“Yeah.” Suga crosses his arms, glancing outside to were the Vice Principal is talking to Daichi, before looking back at the two first years. “Hinata’s a lot better than he was last June.”

“How much practice did this kid _do_?”

“Looks like a lot.”

~

Hinata is sweating, but having the time of his life returning Kageyama’s serves. Some of the balls go awry, which is normal if you didn’t receive the ball correctly, but Hinata _reveled_ in the look on Kageyama’s face as the pair keep at it.

“Hey!” Daichi yells between serves, drawing both of the first year’s attention to him. He looks different than before; did he get in trouble with the Vice Principal? He waits until Kageyama walks over from the other side of the net to stand next to Hinata before continuing, “I want you to listen to me.” Kageyama and Hinata, both panting and thoroughly exhausted, nod and face Daichi.

“I don’t know what your motive was for attending Karasuno. But I’m sure you came here with victory on your mind.”

Hinata steps up. “Yes!”

“Of course.” Kageyama says from his left.

Daichi tells them about how Karasuno was one of the top teams in the prefecture until a few years prior, bringing up the single time the team had even gone to nationals. They’re neither weak, nor strong. Other schools call them the ‘Fallen Rivals’, and ‘The Crows That Can’t Fly’. He tells them about what he remembers from when Karasuno competed in the spring nationals, that students from his neighborhood had competed against the country’s best teams, in the biggest gymnasium in Tokyo. How it gave him goosebumps.

Immediately, Hinata’s reminded of sitting on his bike in middle school, stopped in front of a store and watching the TV as it plays that famous match. _Just like when I saw Little Giant._

“We’re going to go there again.” Daichi says, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

Hinata can almost hear cheering, as if he’s standing in the middle of the Karasuno side of the court in the grand gymnasium in Tokyo. As if he’s looking around at all the people who came to see them play at nationals. As if he’s looking at all the people who are there routing for him. He’s going to make it there. He’s going to make it to the same court as the Little Giant.

“There are many schools dreaming of going to nationals.” Thanks, Kageyama. Really appreciate your input. One hundred percent necessary, way to ruin the mood.

Tanaka won’t take that, “Y-You bastard-“

“Don’t worry.” Daichi interrupts with a straight face. “I mean what I say.”

That shuts Kageyama up quickly. Hinata believes Daichi. He believes _in_ Daichi.

“For us to make that happen, our team has to be unified. And we can’t have the vice principal keeping an eye on us.” Daichi begins walking closer to the two first-years, and Hinata notes that Tanaka and Suga-san seem to move away from him. “I’m not telling you guys to become buddies.” Daichi stops in front of them, the sun’s light from behind him casting a shadow over his face. “Even if you were enemies on the opposite sides of the net in junior high,” Daichi’s calm words don’t change the fact that his expression is nerve-racking, “I need you to understand that now, you’re on the same side.”

Daichi finally looks at the two boys, his face sending tremors through their bodies as he continues. “Do you get it?” He rests his right hand on Kageyama’s right shoulder, “No matter how outstanding you are,” He reaches up to place his left hand on Hinata’s left shoulder, “No matter how willing you are to give it your all,”

What happens next happens quickly. Hinata and Kageyama are being moved by Daichi, obediently following the captain where he wants them to go, “If you fail to get along and hinder your teammates,” They end up outside with a piece of paper pushed against both of their foreheads as Daichi finishes, “You’re not wanted!”

Daichi stands in front of the gym doors with his arms spread as the two dumbfounded first years can only stare at him. “Until you realize that you’re both teammates, you won’t be participating in this club!” And with that, Hinata and Kageyama watch at the sliding gym doors close in front of them.

It takes both Hinata and Kageyama a moment to process what had happened, both of them staring at the metal doors as birds chirped around them in the evening air. Hinata looks up at the piece of paper literally sitting on his unruly hair before it finally processes.

Both boys scream.

“What does it mean to realize we’re teammates? How do you do it?” Hinata looks at Kageyama, expecting him to have the answer.

“Who knows?!” _Kageyama, you are officially no help._

Hinata gives up trying to work with Kageyama, looking at the doors again. “Please let me in! Please let me play volleyball! I’ll get along with Kageyama too! Please!” Hinata keeps pleading, keeps yelling, keeps doing everything and anything he can to get back inside that gym. He didn’t spend nine months training only to be turned away! It isn’t going to happen! No sir!

And then there is a hand on his shoulder, a pull, and he's on his back. “Out of my way!” _Damn you Kageyama!_ Hinata lays there, staring up at the sky. Maybe it isn’t too late to transfer to Seijoh… If he isn’t allowed to play volleyball at Karasuno… Maybe…

(It's wishful thinking. Extremely wishful thinking.)

“I apologize!” Kageyama yells at the door. Hinata just stays on his back, staring up at the birds. _I bet the birds would be allowed to play._ “I swear I’ll get along with this guy!” _You’re a dirty liar, Kageyama._ “Please let me participate in the club!”

Hinata hears the doors open next, but still doesn’t sit up. His name isn’t being called, he doesn’t hear any indication that they are going to be let inside the gym.

Daichi’s voice, “Are you sure you mean that?”

Sounds of Kageyama struggling, before his voice as well. “If I had to cooperate with that guy in a match, I’d rather receive, spike, and toss all by myself.”

Hinata springs up from where he’d been laying. “How could you say that?!”

Daichi laughs, leaning against the door. “I can’t believe you just told me your true feelings. But I think that’s a good thing.” He looks at the pair, a smile still on his face as Hinata walks up behind Kageyama. “Still, in volleyball, you can’t drop the ball, you can’t hold the ball, and one player can’t touch the ball two times in a row. How do you plan to play by yourself?”

“I don’t!” Hinata yells, his fists curling in front of his chest, surprising both Kageyama and Daichi. “I want to play with a real team! I spent the last nine months working with a team that wasn’t my own. I want to be a part of this team!”

Daichi pauses before smiling. “I’m glad you know that, Hinata. It’ll help you learn to work with Kageyama.” And the doors shut once more.

Hinata grits his teeth before looking at Kageyama. “Let me ask you something. Are you actually stupid?”

Kageyama doesn’t answer, but he does click his tongue.

It isn’t long until Hinata is hanging off the gym window, watching the practice unfold. Three other people that he hasn’t met had joined the practice, and he's dying to get in there as soon as he can. He just needs to figure out a way.

“The court and the ball are right in front of me, and it sucks that I’m not allowed in.” Hinata rests his head against the window. “Help from Tooru-san would be great right now…” he mumbles softly, biting his lip. If only.

He hears Kageyama stand up and looks at him. “Damn it! I have no time to waste like this. I’m going to make them let me in.”

“You realize we’re teammates now?” Hinata asks, jumping off the wall and onto his feet. _That’s all we have to do._

“I’m a force to be reckoned with. That’s reason enough for me to be on the team.” _There goes that plan._

“Geh – As expected from the Kin--“ Hinata covers his mouth quickly, the name dying in his throat. “What are you planning to do, anyway?”

“I’ll challenge them to a two-on-two match. If we win, they have to let us in.” Kageyama puts his hands on his hips. “If we team up, we’ll appear friendly no matter how we feel. That will speed things up.”

“We’re going to challenge our senpais? On the first day? What if we lose?”

“We won’t lose. You have me on your side.”

“Eh?” _Is this guy for real? That’s now how teams work! Does he really mean what he says?_

More talking, because it doesn’t seem like Kageyama ever shuts up. “You just need to do the best you can to not get in my way.”

Oh no, not happening. “Huh?” Hinata frowns, standing on his toes to be level with Kageyama. “Do you think anyone would agree to that and be all, ‘Yes, I’ll do the best I can’? You saw me return all your serves and you still want me out of your way?! You have got to be kidding me!”

“So what do you suggest then? Keep gazing through that window?”

Hinata pauses, before looking down. “In junior high, I was only in one real match, the one against your school. We didn’t have enough team member to apply for a tournament ‘til then. I couldn’t have real practice, so I trained wherever I could. The gym, hallways, random corners…” Hinata reaches up, resting his hand on the back of his neck and letting his arm hang. “So that first tournament… When I stood at the center of the court in that huge gymnasium... I felt the spotlight on me, and I got worked up! Like, ‘Gwaaa!’” Hinata lets go of his neck, his hands falling to his sides again. “I wanted to stay there, but…”

He hears Kageyama shift, then his voice. “Staying on the court…” he pauses. “Only the strong can stay.

“Well, what are we going to do? If we don’t go in together, they’ll slam the door.”

“If I can play volleyball…” Hinata clenches his fists and looks up at Kageyama before swinging his right arm out and raising his left fist. “I can endure anything, for a little while! No matter how obnoxious you are, I’ll do my best to keep from seeing you!”

“That’s my line, you idiot!” Kageyama yells, and Hinata instinctively raises his arms in surrender.

“Um…” A voice to Hinata’s left says, and he turns to see a beautiful girl with black hair and dark blue eyes behind pink framed glasses. It's as if everything behind her disappears and she is in front of a backdrop of light pastels and sparkles. “Can you let me through?” she asks, bringing Hinata back to reality.

Kageyama and Hinata both move to the side, watching as she enters the gym. Tanaka runs up, greeting her with “Kiyoko-san, good to see you. I’ll get that for you.”

“That’s fine, I’ll hold it myself.”

“Kiyoko-san, you’re beautiful as ever today!” Tanaka continues, only to be ignored as ‘Kiyoko-san’ walks away. Tanaka only pauses for a second before he grips his upper arms. “It turns me on when she ignores me!”

Suga walks up next to him and quickly closes the door.

This team is nothing like Seijoh.

 

* * *

 

“We could just say that we’ll work together, you know.” Hinata says, sitting on the steps of the gym later that evening. Kageyama and himself had hung around, trying to figure out what to do.

“And who says that will work? My plan is better.”

“We’ll go with your plan if mine doesn’t work!” Hinata stands up, glaring at Kageyama. “Daichi-san said he wanted us to work together. Going up against the team isn’t working as a team!”

Kageyama grits his teeth as he hears practice finish up inside the gym. “We’re doing it my way!” he snaps, before tugging Hinata closer and explaining exactly what they were going to do.

 

* * *

 

“Captain!” Both boys yell from outside the door, standing next to each other. They wait until the doors are open and Daichi is standing in front of them with Suga and Tanaka before continuing, “Let us challenge you to a match!”

Hinata ignores Tanaka laughing as he continues. “The two of us against you senpais.”

“Are these guys for real?” Tanaka laughs.

Hinata and Kageyama look at each other for a moment, “Two, one,” They say softly before looking back at the upperclassmen again. “We’ll prove that we can cooperate as a team!”

“I heard them say ‘one, two’…” Suga murmurs as he stares at them.

Tanaka stops laughing to look at Daichi. “But I can’t say I dislike these guys.”

Daichi looks down at the boys, his arms crossed in front of his chest.

“And what if you lose?”

~

Kageyama wasn’t _going_ to lose, but he humors Daichi. “We’ll endure any penalty.” He says confidently.

“Hmm…” Daichi hums. “Then now’s the time. There are two other first-year applicants besides you guys. It’ll be a three-on-three match against them. We always play this game every year, just to see what the new members are made of.”

To Kageyama’s right, Hinata holds his hand up and visibly counts the players on his fingers before asking, “But how does it become three-on-three? Who’s our other team member?” Hinata has a point, Kageyama could use a third member to completely avoid using Hinata entirely.

Daichi looks to his right slightly, at Tanaka. “Tanaka, I want you to be on Hinata’s side.”

“Eh? Me?”

“You don’t dislike them, right?” Daichi smirks slightly.

“That doesn’t mean I want to play with them.” _You’ll have to play with me anyway, when I make it onto the team._

Daichi sighs. “I see. I thought you’d be the only one here two could discipline these troublemakers.” It's an obvious trick, and to Kageyama’s surprise Tanaka falls right into it.

“Oh, well! I guess it can’t be helped.” Tanaka puts his hands on his hips with a grin. “I’ll do it.” He jumps down in front of Hinata, patting his shoulder. “Aren’t you glad?”

Daichi continues. “And if you lose the match, as long as we third-years are here,” Daichi looks right at Kageyama, “Kageyama will never play setter.”

Kageyama can practically feel his heart shrivel up and die, and Hinata has the _gall_ to ask if that was all. If Kageyama can’t play setter, he can’t become the best setter out there. He wouldn’t be able to surpass the one person he _needed_ to surpass.

“That’s because our team can’t win with a self-centered setter.” Daichi says, staring down at Kageyama’s frowning face. “A guy who banks on his skills, but loses.”

Kageyama grits his teeth, his frown deepening.

“What’s the matter? I’m not ejecting you from the club. You’d be good in other positions, too, wouldn’t you?”

“I’m a setter!” Kageyama yells, his hands curling into fists. There's no changing that. He would always be a setter.

“Then win.” Daichi says back. “You’re here because you think you can win by yourself, right?” Kageyama ignores Hinata’s protest of ‘I’m here too!’ and continues staring down Daichi. “The game will be Saturday morning.”

Hinata, again, doesn’t stop trying to get Daichi to acknowledge him, this time sticking his hand up and pointing at himself.

“Listen up!” Tanaka says. “Tanaka-senpai’s gonna teach you a lesson.”

Before he can continue, Suga’s hand on the back of the neck of his jacket pulls him back into the gym, and the doors are once again closed on them with a final word from Daichi. “Understood?”

Kageyama stares at the door for a moment before turning around and taking his frustration out on the ground, kicking the dirt roughly. “Damn it!”

“What? Are you mad because you’re gonna eat the penalty?” Hinata asks from behind him, sitting on the step. “But even if you’re not a setter, I’m sure you’ll be a regular soon enough.” Kageyama curls his hands into fists, getting angrier and angrier the more Hinata keeps talking. “Besides, spikers are cooler than setters anyway. Wham, like that!”

Kageyama spins around, gripping the front of Hinata’s shirt and pulling him closer. “Bastard!” he yells. “The setter is the team’s control tower! It’s the setter that handles the ball the most in a match. It’s the most dominant role! It’s the coolest!”

“Huh?”

“And your favourite, the spike,” Kageyama continues, “You can’t shoot without the setter.”

“But setter looks difficult, and it’s not very flashy…”

Kageyama clicks his tongue, letting go of Hinata and pushing him back slightly before resting his hands on his hips, his anger subsiding only slightly. “You… Have you ever seen a huge tournament live?”

“I haven’t.”

“It’s hard to tell from the angles they show on TV, but if you watch from one end of the court, you can see the setter’s super-fast toss really well.” Kageyama moves his hand before quickly waving it in front of himself to the other side of his body. “Zoom! From one end of the court to the other. The ball goes past the enemy’s block.” Kageyama holds his hands out to Hinata. “You think to yourself, ‘Hey! Can they really return that?’. But before the toss, the spiker jumps, and hits it.” He waves his hand like he was spiking a ball. “Wham! Like that.”

“O-Oh.”

Kageyama stands up straight again, “Sure, spikers are cool. But… But the setter tricks the enemy blockers. The setter tears down the walls for the spiker. It’s difficult, it’s cool, it’s fun, and that’s the setter!”

“I understand now why you want to be setter…” Hinata murmurs, watching Kageyama.

_“Kageyama will never play setter.”_

Kageyama curses, his hands curling into fists at his sides. In volleyball, he knows what he is. He’s a setter. He always _will_ be a setter. The thought of that being taken away by a team he hasn’t even played with yet – from a team he’s already screwing up with – he doesn’t like it. It’s not a good thought, not being a setter. _The_ setter.

“All you have to do is win.” Hinata continues. “You were full of confidence taking on the senpais, weren’t you?”

Kageyama will admit, Hinata has a point. He can’t get anxious; he has to remain focused. He won’t rely on Hinata, not with what he saw last year, it’s not happening, but he can send tosses to Tanaka, the second year. It’s decided, then.

“Hey,” Kageyama says, pointing at Hinata. (He doesn’t find it amusing that having his arm straight out is level with the red-head’s face. Definitely doesn’t.) “We need to get as much practice in as we can before Saturday.”

Hinata perks up, nodding quickly, before his face falls. “We can’t use the gym, though…”

There’s loud, gross, throat clearing to Kageyama’s right, and Tanaka’s head poking up next to the window. “Oh, yes.” He says loudly, loud enough for both first years to hear. “Morning practice is at seven AM tomorrow, right?”

_“Of course, but why did you ask that all of a sudden?”_

“Oh, uh, well… You know me. Don’t want to be late.”

_“That doesn’t stop you.”_

Kageyama glances at Hinata, who’s already looking at him. “Tomorrow.”

~

Hinata starts walking, heading towards his bike, Kageyama keeping pace with him.

“Five AM.” Kageyama says, speeding up slightly, and Hinata keeps the pace.

“Don’t be late.” He snaps back.

“You don’t be late.”

They keep walking, speeding up, until they’re both running, sprinting, trying to beat each other. Hinata lengthens his stride to match Kageyama’s and they make it to the front gates before Hinata realizes he’s forgotten his bag. “Crap!”

He makes it back to the gym in record time, slinging his bag over his shoulder after digging his phone out of the pocket. He flips it open to check his messages, immediately reading _Oikawa Tooru – 3 Missed Calls,_ followed by a text from his boyfriend requesting that he call him after practice. Hinata has to make it home first, which will take even more time if he’s walking and talking on his phone. He opens Skype on his phone, sending Oikawa a quick message.

 

> **[3:45:38 PM] meat buns = ●‿●** **:** finished practice! if you could even CALL it that
> 
> **[3:45:51 PM] meat buns = ●‿●** **:** I ahve a lot to tlake abt when I get home!!!
> 
> **[3:46:01 PM] meat buns = ●‿●** **:** have **talk** phone please
> 
> **[3:46:07 PM] meat buns = ●‿●** **:** SKYPE PLEASE WITH THE HTML
> 
> **[3:47:55 PM] Aliens Are Real™:** Shouyou omg
> 
> **[3:48:03 PM] Aliens Are Real™:** i'll be waiting, take your time <3
> 
> **[3:48:06 PM] meat buns = ●‿●** **:** <3!!!

The smell of food greets Hinata when he walks through the front door of his home, calling out to his mother that he’s home. There’s already a tray of food ready for him to take to his room, bless his mom. He lifts it and takes it to his room, setting it down in front of his laptop on his desk and turning on the device. While it and Skype loads he takes the opportunity to change, stripping his uniform and changing into a t-shirt and pyjama pants.

He sits down on his chair as Oikawa calls him on Skype, answering with a wave and a grin. “Hi, Tooru!” he says, before starting to shovel food into his mouth.

Oikawa snorts, waving back at Hinata. “Hi, Shou-chan. How was practice?”

Hinata makes an urgent sound, quickly chewing the food in his mouth and swallowing, gasping when he finally gets it all down. “It didn’t _happen_.” He hisses.

Oikawa raises an eyebrow. “It didn’t happen?”

“No! Kageyama Tobio happened!” Hinata says, and Oikawa opens his mouth to say something, but Hinata doesn’t hear it. “He’s such! A jerk! And because he’s such a jerk and _obviously_ doesn’t actually understand what teamwork is, and he got us both kicked out of the gym by the captain!” he huffs, poking at his food. “Sure, maybe I got competitive when it came to returning all his serves – which look a lot like yours by the way – but all we had to do to get back into the gym would say we would work together, not challenge the third years! Honestly…”

Oikawa’s laugh brings Hinata back to attention. “That does sound like him.” He hums softly, leaning back in his chair. “So he goes to Karasuno now, huh? I wonder why…”

Hinata shrugs. “I don’t care about his reasons.” He mutters, shoveling more food into his mouth. “I just want to play volleyball.”

“I know you do.” Oikawa smiles softly.

“And he won’t rely on me! Him and his thick skull are going to make us lose!”

“What happens if you lose the match against your seniors?”

“Kageyama can’t be a setter at Karasuno.”

Oikawa blinks. “Really?”

Hinata nods, swallowing the food in his mouth. “Captain said as long as the third years were at Karasuno, Kageyama wouldn’t be a setter.” He sets his bowl down, staring at his rice. “I… I think he took it really hard. He really likes being a setter. I don’t want to lose, but losing doesn’t really have any consequences for me. It does for Kageyama.”

Oikawa smiles, leaning forward on his desk and resting his head on his hand. “Then I guess you’ll have to win.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hope u all enjoyed please comment telling me how much u like this because it fuels me!!! ilu all and i will see u all next month!!! ( ♥3♥ )
> 
> july 27th edit: might not have chapter 3 up for another month, I am sorry my sweets. life has been Busy but i will try to get it to you soon!!!
> 
> march 27th edit: sooo, I know it's been eight months since I updated this, and not to worry! i haven't abandoned this fic, it's just been very slow going. since I'm relying so heavily on the anime, I basically have to watch and write at the same time so I know where I'm going. this makes writing it take a long time and it's super tiring. but do know that I *am* thinking about this fic, and I think about it a lot. Please be patient with me. Though it's not like you have a choice.


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